Wool-washing machine



(No Model.)

H. W. CHURCH. WOOL WASHING MACHINE.

No. 339,379. PatentedApr. 6. 1886.

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rrED STATES PATENT FFlCE.

HENRY V. CHURCH, OF GRANITEVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

WOOL-WASHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 339,379, dated April @1886.

Application filed June 12,1884. Serial No. 134,632. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY W. CHURCH, of Graniteville, in the county of Middlesex and State of lllassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in ool-t ashing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invent-ion relates to machines for washing wool and similar fibrous substances; and it consists in certain improved combinations and arrangements of parts, substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan View of a wool-washing machine provided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is avertieal longitudinal central section of the same.

A is the bowl of the machine, and a a bottom, which may be perforated to allow dirt to fall through in the usual manner, if desired.

B B are the squeezerolls.

D is the fced-in apron, and D is the apron for conducting the fiber away from the squeeze'rolls.

C is the pump for creating a circulation of liquor in the bowl or drawing off and supplying the washing-liquor thereto, and E is the bed of the carrier for conducting the wool from the bowl to the feed-rolls.

All these parts are well known, and are mounted and arranged in the ordinary and well-known manner.

In the bowl A, I mount two long forks, M M, extending substantially the entire length of the bowl from the feed-in end to the carrierbed upon the crank-shaped shafts m m, the latter being supported in bearings m m upon the sides of the bowl, so as to be capable of revolving freely therein. The shafts m or. have attached to one end the gear-wheels m m which are driven by the bevel-gears m m, mounted on the shaft m. The shaft or is driven by the gearwheels m or, m, and m, which receive motion from any suitable counter-shaft belted to the shaft of the latter gearwheel.

Each of the shafts mis in the shape of a double crank between its bearings, as shown, and one of the forks M is attached to each arm of the crank by hearings, in which the shafts can revolve.

Each of the forks M consists of a long frame-work of a little less than one-half the breadth of the bowl, and the bearings in the frame-work for the shafts 72L m are at such a distance apart that the cranks passing through them occupy the same relative position in the bowl at the same time. Thus the cranks which support one of the forks M are precisely opposite from the axial line of the sbaft'bearings on the bowl to those which support the other fork M, and the motion given to the forks will be in opposite.directions.

The forks are provided with teeth a a, which project downward into the fluid in the bowl as the forks move forward toward the squeeze-rolls and rise out of the washing liquor as the forks move backward.

It is evident that when the shafts m m are revolved in the proper direction the teeth of the forks M M will alternately descend into the liquid, and, moving forward toward the carrier-bed E, convey the wool by their re peated motions to the latter.

The advantage of having the two forks working alternately side by side in the bowlis that as one fork descends and carries forward the wool floating in the liquor the moving fluid and fiber tend to rush to one side to escape from the pressure behind it, and the side of the bowl where the other carrier is at the time raised by the crank-shaft m being freest, the fluid and floating fiber substantially all rush to that side,when the fiber is caught by the descent of the fork-teeth on that side into the fluid, and any excess of floating fiber ahead of that fork again rushes to the side first mentioned. The repeated violent circulation of the fluid and fiber thus produced serves to wash the fiber better and faster in its passage through the bow].

Another advantage of having two forks M M mounted on the shaft, as described, is that as only one of them is carrying forward the fiber at atirne there is less strain on the working parts than with a single fork occupying the entire length and breadth of the bowl.

For the conveying of the wool up the carrierbed, I attach to each fork M a carrier, in the following manner: On the inside of the bowl on each side over the carrier-bed E are attached two tracks, n a Two carriers, 88, of the same breadth as the forks M, are respectively attached one to each fork by the links a of. Each of these carriers is constructed of a frame-work,

to which teeth are attached of a suitable length to carry the wool up the carrier-bed as the carrier is lifted and forced forward by the fork, to which it is attached.

The action of the linksn n upon the carrier is assisted and controlled by two flanged studs, 8' s,which project from the side of the latter and rest upon the tracks a a", the flanges on the studs entering the grooves in the tracks. The bar on top of the carrier is curved upward to bring the stud s nearest the squeeze-rollsin the proper position. The latter stud slides continually back and forth on its track if, and serves as a pivot, about which the carrier moves as it rises and falls. The stud s, which rests upon the track n, comes in contact with the track when the carrier has descended to the proper level, and holds the carrier at that level until raised by its attached fork M. As the fork M descends and moves forward toward the squeeze-rolls, the pivotal joints of thelink allow of only a forward movement of the carrier awhile as the fork in rising continues its forward motion in an upward direction the carrier is moved still farther forward without being raised materially from the carrier-bed until the fork M commences its upward and backward movement. This construction of the fork M and carrier 8 so as to extend the entire length of the bowl enables the mechanism to e operated with fewer supporting-bearings for driving the same, and at a consequent saving in cost of construction and wear and tear of running parts.

The construction and-arrangement of the two forks side by sidein the same bowl and on the same shaft, but so arranged as to move forward and backward alternately, does not increase the number of bearings, and brings but about half the strain upon them at any one time while enabling the two forks M M to per- 2. In combination with the bowl, the alter- &

nately-moving forks M M, operating side by side, the carriers 8 8, connected thereto and moving alternately side by side back and forth, and the carrier-bedE, substantially as described.

H. WV. CHURCH. \Vitnesses:

ARTHUR B. PLIMPTON,

F. G. SARGENT. 

